This morning is the Sunday before Memorial Day. Do you know how Memorial Day started?
Memorial day has its origins in a Decoration Day, which began during the civil war among Freedmen (freed slaves) and other Black American families, as a celebration of both black and white Union soldiers who fought for liberation and justice. Together with teachers and missionaries, Blacks in Charleston, S.C., organized a May Day ceremony in 1865, which was covered by the New York Tribune and other national papers. The freedmen had cleaned up and landscaped the burial ground, building an enclosure and an arch labeled, "Martyrs of the Race Course." Nearly ten thousand people, mostly freedmen, gathered on May 1 to commemorate the dead. Involved were 3,000 schoolchildren newly enrolled in freedmen's schools, mutual aid societies, Union troops, and black ministers and white northern missionaries. Most brought flowers to lay on the burial field. Today the site is used as Hampton Park. Years later, the celebration would come to be called the "First Decoration Day" in the North.
The concept caught on. By the end of WW2 Memorial Day was a national holiday to honor all American soldiers that died in battle. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971. A lot of people were glad to have that change, but a lot of people were really upset with the change, saying it will ruin the meaning of the holiday. Sort of like what happens at church.
What do you remember most? Do you remember last week’s sermon? Do you remember what you talked about at breakfast this morning?
Our most vivid memories are often tied to outstanding events in our lives, or regular calendar events such as birthdays, Christmas, or Thanksgiving. The majority of us forget most of what happens day by day. But some things stick, and some things we can’t forget even if we want to.
God Himself practices an orderliness in time (just think of creation) and He has set up certain activities for our lives so that we will remember, and not just remember, but as we remember we can be drawn back into the reality of the memory and its significance for us.
Our Church services are filled with memorial activities. Most of us tend to like it when we are familiar with what’s going on, rather than surprised by it. How many of you prefer to sing songs you know rather than have all new songs you’ve never heard of for our song service? How many of you prefer that the order of service be somewhat predictable rather than wonder what’s going to happen next? Not that we want exactly the same thing every week, but rather we need a familiar context so that we can reflect on and enjoy how the present is caught up in the past.
The Jews were especially good at this. In his book, The Feast, Joshua Graves quotes Lauren Winner’s writing on Spiritual Formation: Jews do things with attention and wisdom because doing, because action sits at the center of Judaism. Practice is to Judaism what belief is to Christianity. For Jews the essence of the thing is a doing, an action. Feelings of faith might come and go, but your practice should not waver. In Exodus 24:7 the original Hebrew records that the people said, “Everything the Lord has said we will do and we will hear, or understand.” You may have the word “obey” for “hear” but the Hebrew is unusual. We will do and we will hear, or understand. The Jewish scholars said, “No, this is exactly what God’s word intended. We begin to do unto God and as we do His commands we come to truly hear God and understand His voice.”
We do so we can hear. Doing the commands of God is a memorial activity of obedience that brings us into understanding and memory. In other words, we need to learn to do what is good from God’s word so that we can appreciate and understand the goodness of God.
Titus is a very interesting little letter about this very concept. So is the letter of James. Today we will begin a series of lessons from Titus and James that I hope will complement our Summer Service Series.
Listen to these repeated statements of Paul in this little letter of Titus.
Titus 1:15-16
15 To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.
Titus 2:6-7
6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Titus 3:1
1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,
Titus 3:8
8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Titus 3:14
14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.
Do you get the idea that we need to learn to do what is good?
Instead of worrying about who else will be doing it, or making sure it’s something I WANT to do, or being sure it is something I’m comfortable doing…
God’s call to serve is a call to do good, whether anyone else you like shows up or not. It is a call to do good, whether you WANT to or LIKE it or not. It is a call to do good whether you are comfortable doing it or not.
There are billions or excuses for not doing the good God commands us to do. Every one of them has a stamp on the bottom telling where it’s from: made in Hell.
Instead of trying to think our way into God’s will or feel our way into God’s grace, God is calling us to an obedient faith. Not that we are saved by our actions… Titus 3:4-7 makes that clear. We are saved by His actions, works of God when we are washed, reborn, and renewed through the Holy Spirit at our baptism, and made heirs who will receive eternal life.
In that sense your obedience becomes a memorial service of God’s grace that has worked and is working in your life. How do you know that you have received the grace of God and that God is working in your life? Is it causing you to do good works? If not, you don’t have it.
While you don’t do good works to get God’s grace, you do do good works when you have it. Otherwise you don’t. How am I doing?
Jesus said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, but do not do what I say?” Following Jesus Christ involves following His example and teachings. When we start doing what Jesus tells us we discover His power and goodness growing in our lives.
Luke 5 tells a great story about this. Jesus was teaching and crowds of people were coming to him, not just to hear his words but to see his works. Amazing things happened when Jesus was around. Anyway, the crowds were getting large hard to manage. Jesus came down to the shore of Galilee and there were three fishermen on shore with their boats. They had been out fishing all night, but caught nothing. Jesus looks at Peter and asks if he can get into Peter’s boat and speak to the crowds from there. Peter obliges Jesus. Jesus finished speaking and then he looks at Peter and says: “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
Now Peter is not in the mood for fishing. He’s tired of fishing. He’s been out fishing for hours, and besides, it’s not time for catching fish, it’s time for catching winks after a hard nights work. Peter even says so much to Jesus…
What’s happening here with the principle of doing what God says… doing good deeds. Does Peter WANT to do it? Does Peter FEEL like doing it? Will it be comfortable? Does Peter think it will do any good?
Peter has to do this before he can hear Jesus. Peter has to obey by doing so that he can see by faith.
Peter is about to do what Jesus said, simply as an act of obedience, because it is Jesus that said, “Do this.”
Peter’s words, “Because you say so, I will let down the nets.” And when he did, every fish in the lake jumped into his net. And at first Peter was so caught up in the miracle that all he could see was the blessing of the catch of fish. But then it happened. Because he decided to do… he began to hear and understand. Who is this teacher in front of me? And who am I?
Peter’s life began to change because he chose to do what Jesus said.
This summer will be a focus on doing. Not just so we can get things done, but so that we can hear and understand together more of God. That’s what God wants of us. God does things to us and in us and through us as we do good deeds as He commands us.
Don’t miss the blessing. We are going to learn to do good. God will reward us with more than we could ask or imagine.
